Rethinking the rules on complicated diverticulitis

The majority of patients present with complicated diverticulitis as their first episode, calling into question the current practice of elective resection to reduce mortality, reports this month's Annals of Surgery.

fiogf49gjkf04

Much of our knowledge and treatment of complicated diverticulitis are based on outdated literature reporting mortality rates of 10%.

“This, coupled with the fact that the majority of these patients presented with complicated diverticulitis as their first episode, calls into question the current practice of elective resection as a stratagem for reducing mortality.”